Belated
by Heero De Fanel
Summary: A Brain Powered fic. Yuu is thinking about the day he left Orphan, and Hime happens to join him in his contemplation. YuuXHime.


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Belated

Disclaimer: I don't own Brain Powered, Yuu, Hime, or any intellectual properties used therein. And for people with normal vocabularies, I don't own anything. I believe this is the first Brain Powered fanfic in English, and I hope it turns out to be good. This is a rather WAFFY story, but the show has enough angst to go around, anyway. Yuu and Hime may seem OOC at first, but they have a tendency to flip flop when around each other, so I suppose it all evens out.

* * *

_"I can't believe it's almost been six months since I left Orphan…" _Yuu Isami mused, as he stood on the deck of the Novis Noah, absentmindedly watching the sea roll below him, feeling the wind blow through his blue hair. To be honest, he hadn't expected to actually survive escaping; he had been half prepared to die in his Brain. 

"But I didn't. I made it out alive – and I'm still kicking," he said out loud, not hearing the footsteps behind him.

"Ne, Yuu. Who are you talking to?"

Yuu wheeled around in surprise– only to see Hime Utsumiya laughing at him. His eyes narrowed in annoyance. Great timing. As always.

" N-no one!" he snarled. Being caught from behind didn't exactly do wonders for his usually somber mood. Hime stuck out her tongue at him.

"Geez! You're always in such a bad mood! I'm just trying to be nice…" she said, glaring at him, her eyes focused angrily on him.

Yuu didn't understand how making fun of someone was being nice, nor would he try. Closing his eyes, and massaging his temples, he sighed, trying to remain calm. "_She probably is trying to be nice… in her odd, illogical way…"_ he thought, opening his eyes again and looking at her. Hime glared back.

"What! What is it?" she yelled, still miffed. She blinked in confusion as he laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"You're right. Sorry," he apologized, with a small (almost unnoticeable if you didn't know him) smile on his face. Hime blinked.

"Hmm? Really?" she responded skeptically, looked puzzled. This was rather… out of character for him, to say the least. She cocked her head confusingly at him. Yuu groaned.

"Yes," he replied, his tone still contrite. He sighed again and looked at her. "Look, you just surprised me, all right?" he explained, not wanting to make this any worse. He knew how… volatile Hime could be, and he had no desire to get himself hurt. Or have her siblings attack him.

Luckily, it worked. Hime's upset expression swiftly changed into a smile, and she nodded quickly, much to Yuu's relief.

"Aa! I see," she said, a lighter note in her voice. She paused for a second before adding "But that doesn't explain why you were talking to yourself!"

Yuu opened his mouth – then shut it. He waited a moment before speaking again. "No, it doesn't," he said tiredly. "Let me guess; you aren't going to leave before I tell you, are you?"

Hime looked insulted. "Do you really think I'm that petty?"

"Yes," Yuu shot back, not missing a beat. Seeing the look on Hime's face, Yuu relented, patting the spot next to him. "Fine. Have a seat."

Hime looked puzzled, but did as she was told, walking over to him and sitting down beside him. "All right..." he began.

"Whoa! First off, this won't result in me getting kissed, will it?" she asked, only half joking. Yuu groaned once more, and he had the nagging feeling it wouldn't be the last time.

"Oh, for the love of – you won't let that go, will you!" he demanded, getting annoyed with the constant reference. Hime held up her hands quickly, trying to fend off a confrontation.

"Hey, I'm just making sure!" she said playfully, looked amused.

Yuu looked irritated, but nodded. "Well… it's just that tomorrow marks six months since escaping from Orphan," he told her, his face serious. Upon seeing her questioning look, he went on. "I was just amazed that I'm still alive, that's all."

Hime looked disappointed. "That was an anticlimactic ending. It would have been more interesting if you were hearing voices in your head, or something."

Yuu wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "Er… yeah, I guess," he said. "I still have very vivid memories of that day…"

The ginger haired girl looked more interested now. "Really? Why?"

Yuu shrugged. "When I turned 17, I didn't expect to be shot at," he muttered, lying back on the deck suddenly, missing the widening of Hime's eyes. "Very, very eventful day-"

"Wait a second! It was your birthday exactly six months ago!" she asked suddenly. Upon seeing the look in her blue eyes, Yuu unexpectedly shuddered. He had felt the same feeling right before Iik – Quincy Issa, had begun to shoot at him.

"Uh… technically. I've still got one more day to go," he answered, wondering what mine field he had just stepped into. Hime looked shocked.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded, glaring at him. "We had enough time on my Brain before you ran off…" she told him. Yuu was surprised.

"Well… considering the circumstances, coupled with the fact we had just met again after a year…"

"No excuse! Besides, it's not right to miss someone's birthday!" she exclaimed, looking angry. Yuu found himself rather perplexed; why did she care so much? Hell, _he_ didn't care… well, not to her extent, anyway.

"Don't worry about it. Really," he assured her. He had honestly never expected Hime to be the type to stress over this kind of thing so much… but then again, she was an odd girl. A pretty odd girl.

Yuu flushed at the double meaning (not to mention the horrid pun), but quickly shoved it out of his mind. Seeing that Hime still looked agitated, he quickly spoke again.

"If you don't mind me asking… why are you so focused on this?" Yuu asked quietly, sitting back up and looking at her intently.

Had it been any other time, she would have noticed that he was acting out of character. Very, very out of character. As it stood, she only felt the blood rushing to her face. Scowling, she looked down at the ground.

"I… I don't…" she began, tripping over her words. Yuu looked concerned now – surprising, considering he usually didn't show it outwardly. "I just thought… that…"

Yuu blinked, now totally lost. "Hime?"

She suddenly stood up, shaking her head to get the mild blush off her face. Hime was angry now, and she didn't fault herself in the least. Try to show a little concern, and the result was the third degree. But then again, Hime probably should have expected that…

"Forget it! Figures you wouldn't understand…" she yelled, as she began to angrily storm off. Yuu looked surprised.

"What?" he called out, obviously having no clue what was going on.

Unfortunately for Yuu, that just made Hime angrier. "I told you to forget it! Are you deaf or something! IDIOT!" she screamed, as she re-entered the Novis Noah.

Yuu was left staring at the closed door, his mouth hanging open. _"What the hell?"_ he asked himself, his eyes still locked on the door.

Finally, he threw himself back, lying down again, his hand locked over his face in exasperation.

"Why do I even try anymore…?"

* * *

11:00 PM. That was pretty late by normal standards. Yuu, on the other hand, was just getting in. After doing some menial jobs (moving things, etc…), he had been assigned to patrol with Russ; they wanted to be sure no Grand Chers were around. 

Yuu hadn't spoken with Hime after their… encounter on the deck. He didn't know if she was still angry or not, and he didn't want to find out, lest she maim him… or kill him. It would have been one of the two, Yuu was certain. Thus, he had made a point of avoiding her.

Unfortunately, this led to smartass comments (albeit good-natured ones) from Russ all throughout patrol. He had noticed the two skirting around each other, and every few sentences something about a lover's spat would invariably pop up.

That had been a long, long four hours. Yuu definitely had new respect for Kanan's patience in dealing with the blonde pilot. But, that was in the past. All Yuu cared about was getting some well deserved shuteye. He walked down the corridor to his room-

And stopped dead as he saw a… lump of some kind. It was sitting, obscured in darkness… and it appeared to be _moving_. Yuu tensed, eyes narrowing, and walked forward again, slowly.

He somehow wasn't surprised to find Hime curled up near his door, her arms wrapped around herself, sleeping. Strands of her hair had fallen around her face, and her breathing was regulated and peaceful. Yuu's expression softened, and he knelt down beside her.

He hated to do it, but he doubted that sleeping here could be very comfortable. He laid a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently, watching her intently. She made a few moaning noises, and her eyes slowly opened.

"Yuu…?" she asked sleepily, as her eyes began to focus. Yuu nodded, keeping his expression stoic. When in doubt, bring out the poker face.

"Sleeping in halls defeats the purpose of quarters, you know," he told her, treading carefully. Hime yawned (rather cutely, at that) and looked at him.

"Ah, and here I thought you weren't capable of humor," she fired back, obviously still capable of being sarcastic.

"Funny. Why are you here, anyway?" he inquired, deciding to be blunt. No use in stepping around the issue, after all, Yuu decided.

Hime looked surprised, and then contrite. "I wanted to apologize for earlier," she said, looking down. Yuu waved his hand in dismissal.

"Ah, forget about it-"

"No," she said calmly. Yuu tried again.

"Really, it's all right-"

"No, it isn't," she said to him firmly. Seeing the look on his face, she sighed. Better to get it all out now. "Remember when you asked me why I was so worked up about you not caring about your birthday?"

Yuu nodded in affirmation, remembering it all too well. Hime went on, her eyes locked on the blue haired boy.

"It was because you're _always_ like that, Yuu!" she exclaimed, surprising the other Brain Powered pilot.

"What?" he demanded, surprised and confused. What the hell did she mean by that?

"Ever since I met you, you've been obsessed with stopping Orphan no matter what the cost. That's all you're focused on!"

Yuu found himself speechless for a second, but gathered his thoughts quickly enough for a rebuttal. "Oh, because you're one to criticize! You were the one who convinced me to join the Novis Noah – to stop Orphan!" he growled, getting angry now.

Hime threw up her hands in frustration. "That's not what I'm talking about, Yuu! We all want to stop Orphan, but for you… I don't know. It's become the main thing – hell, the only thing you seem to care about!"

"Of course! I've told you what Orphan is capable of. You're all aware! I'm gonna try my best to stop it, or die trying!" he said furiously.

All the fight seemed to leave Hime at that moment. She looked shocked, then resigned, and then just… sad. Yuu blinked as she brought her knees up to her chest and buried her face in there. "Hime?"

"That's what I mean, Yuu," she told him, her voice low and morose now. "You don't care about anything or anyone else right now, except stopping Orphan," she continued, ignoring the angry growl from Yuu. "I'd call you selfish, but I can't. Selfish people actually care about themselves. You? Not so much…"

Yuu's anger had begun to subside upon seeing Hime look so… defeated. Her last words had defused his anger completely, and all he could do was stare helplessly at her.

"You want the truth? I'm worried about you." Hime told him, her voice just as low and sombre. "You're the only one of us aboard the Novis Noah who would be lost in life if Orphan were destroyed right now," she murmured, her head still down.

Yuu could say nothing. And even if he could… what would he say? She was right.

"What would you have, Yuu, if your only purpose in life was taken away? What would you do? Knowing you, I have a feeling that you'll just go off and brood somewhere for the rest of your life."

"Hime… there's no way that would-"

"How would you know!" she yelled, lifting up her face suddenly. "You don't even care right now, do you! Even after everything I've said, you still want to stop Orphan no matter what!"

Yuu tried to respond, but Hime cut him off. "Forget it, Yuu! Try to stop Orphan on your own! Get yourself killed!" She said, making sure her eyes met his. Yuu was shocked to find tears there.

"You… you don't even care about your own well being… so why do I?" she asked, tearful now. "Why should I feel sad or upset everytime I think about what will happen to you when we stop Orphan? Why do I feel pain everytime I think about not seeing you again?…"

His eyes widened. "Hime…"

She suddenly stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes as she turned her back. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. Like I said before… you don't care."

After a moment, Hime felt hands on her shoulders, gently holding her. When he spoke, Yuu's voice was tight. "You're wrong, Hime. I do care. Not just about stopping Orphan… other things as well." He paused for a second. No response from Hime. He pressed on.

"Like… what will happen if I fail? What would happen to the Novis Noah? My grandmother? Kanan, Russ, Nanga, Sass, Komodo?" he asked quietly, his voice intense. "If Orphan gets its way… everything would end. What would become of the Earth?" Yuu said, as he tightened his grip. "Your siblings… _you_…" he said helplessly.

Still no response. Yuu sighed. "But… you were right with one thing, though. I don't know what will happen if we succeed. I don't want to contemplate that, because honestly… it scares me. Orphan does drive me, and after it's gone… I don't know…"

Yuu sighed sadly. "I don't know how much this means to you, but for what it's worth… I'm sorry."

Sorry for what, he didn't know. But this was the first time that he truly knew how Hime felt, and it unnerved him. She had just voiced all the fears that he had repressed. It was… frightening.

Yuu then blinked as he felt Hime's shoulders tremble suddenly. "Hime…?"

The next thing he knew, Hime had thrown her arms around his neck, and was holding on to him as tightly as she could. "Yuu!"

Yuu was taken aback. She had never shown affection to him before… so why now?

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, her voice quavering, as she held on to Yuu like her life depended on it. "But… I don't want you… to…"

Hime had cut herself off, choosing instead to keep embracing him, her arms still firmly locked around Yuu's neck, tears threatening to fall.

Yuu, antisocial as he was, definitely wasn't heartless. Nevertheless, Hime was surprised to feel one arm slide around her, and the other arm begin to stroke her hair comfortingly.

The Brain Powered pilot said nothing; he knew that verbalizing his thoughts would only lead to more misunderstandings. Instead, he kept his arm around her, and held her as tightly as she held him; letting the strength flow from him into her, his presence more than enough to still her tears.

Hime wasn't surprised that Yuu wasn't saying anything. He never really spoke about his feelings, even when they were tearing him up to the point where he was bleeding on the inside. But this time, she understood his feelings all too well.

"_I can't promise I'll stop trying so hard to defeat Orphan. I can't even promise I'll live for much longer. But I can promise… that no matter what, I'll try my best to always return. To Novis Noah, to the crew… and to you."_

Yuu, for the most part, was apprehensive at the fact she was totally silent. He feared another verbal attack; another rebuff.

Then, he felt Hime's head lay hesitantly against his chest, her eyes closed, and he understood just as well.

_"You'd better."

* * *

_

The blue haired pilot allowed himself a small smile as he lay against the wall in his room, Hime curled up against his shoulder, his right hand gently stroking her shoulder gently. She appeared to be asleep once more, her expression peaceful as she used Yuu's shoulder for a pillow. Yuu gazed at her, as he moved his hand up to her head, pressing her head against his shoulder lightly. Hime stirred. Yuu blinked. "Hime…?"

"I never said stop, Yuu," she told him tiredly, a smile on her features nonetheless. Yuu rolled his eyes in response, but kept his arm in the same place.

"I'm guessing that you're just going to sleep here tonight?" Yuu asked, his gaze still on her.

Her response was a cute yawn as she nodded and curled up against him again, snuggling into his grip. Yuu smiled again.

_"She must really be sleepy… otherwise she would never be doing something like this,"_ he told himself. Still, it felt quite nice… Yuu suddenly felt his own eyes grow heavy, as he tried to keep them open.

"Don't fight sleep, Yuu… it's bad for you," Hime sleepily told him, her eyes open slightly and focused on him. The soft smile on her face made it hard to believe she had levelled such a vicious verbal assault against him earlier. Yuu shrugged. Let bygones be bygones, he figured. Besides, he was comfy…

Yuu mentally gave up as he felt sleep attempt to overtake him once more. He felt his eyes begin to flutter close, and he began to drift away. Right before he fell into blissful slumber, he heard Hime mutter something.

"… what time… is… it?" she inquired, barely holding on to consciousness herself. Yuu groaned.

"What the hell could you possibly-"

"Just tell me, all right?" she told him, too sleepy to be offended by his tone. Yuu blearily looked at the clock in his room.

"12:03. But why would you need to know that?" Yuu asked. Hime looked toward him and smiled serenely at him.

"Idiot…" she scolded him, lifting her head slightly. Yuu didn't notice… or if he did, he wasn't doing anything. So therefore he missed the sight of Hime's gaze being leveled at him, affection on her face.

"I know this might be kind of late, but…" Hime cut herself off, and a second later Yuu felt a soft sensation on his cheek. It was gentle, and there was a ticklish feeling near the side of his face…

It took Yuu a second to realize just what she had done, and his face turned a bright red. He looked at Hime with an expression of surprise. She only smiled mischievously at him in response, and sighed, laying her head back on his shoulder.

"Happy birthday, Yuu."


End file.
